Weekly City Manager Updates: June 10, 2024

Published in

PaloAltoConnect

4 min readJun 12, 2024

City Manager Ed Shikada shares brief updates at each Council meeting, highlighting details about upcoming events, City services, and City Council discussions planned. His comments are summarized through our Palo Alto Connect Medium.com series to catch up on City issues and gain the latest news.

Watch Ed share updates from the June 10, 2024 Council meeting.

Timestamped City Council Video: City Council Meeting — June 10, 2024

City Council Meeting - June 10, 2024

Members of the Public may provide public comments to teleconference meetings via email, teleconference, or by phone.1…

www.youtube.com

Community Engagement Opportunities

2024 King Artist-in-Residence Events

Alma Landeta is engaging with the community as part of their research.

Portraits Workshop: Wednesday, June 12, 3–4 p.m. at Mitchell Park Library Midtown Room. No art experience needed and all ages welcome.
Open Studio Drop-In: Thursday, June 20, 11 a.m. — 2 p.m., at Cubberley Community Center Studio E6. Visit with the artist & learn more.

Palo Alto Airport Community Meeting & Survey

The Palo Alto Airport is hosting a community meeting on the Long Range Facilities & Sustainability Plan development Thursday, June 20, 6 p.m.* at Baylands Golf Links. In addition, an online survey is available now.

Wildfire Preparedness Webinar

Wildfire season is coming. Be prepared and support community safety by attending a webinar on Tuesday, June 25 at 5 p.m.

Find these and more www.cityofpaloalto.org/Engage.

*The City Manager’s presentation on Monday, June 10 incorrectly stated the Airport meeting would start at 5 p.m., the timing is 6–8 p.m.

Summer Reading for a Cause

Let’s read together this summer and join the Summer Reading for a Cause program. Now through August 1, join the community at library events, log your reading to earn cool prizes, and support a great cause. The community goal is 2,000* hours of reading this summer. If achieved, the Friends of the Palo Alto Library will donate $2,500 to the Downtown Streets Team. Many thanks to our Friends of the Palo Alto Library for sponsoring the program!

Sign up and start reading at www.cityofpaloalto.org/EveryonesAReader.
*The City Manager’s presentation incorrectly said the community goal is 20,000 hours; the actual community goal is 2,000 hours (120,000 mintues)

Take Action to be Sustainable this Summer

This summer join your neighbors in growing a greener community, one sustainable step at a time. Ways to take action include:

Learn how to create your own compost
Volunteer with Canopy to survey Palo Alto’s hundreds of young street trees
Connect with community at a Native Plant Nursery event at the Palo Alto Baylands Nursery
Drop off your household hazardous waste

Find these and more ways to commit to a more sustainable summer.

Notable Tentative Upcoming Council Items

June 17; Special Start 4 p.m.

FY 2024–2025 Budget Adoption
Hydroelectricity Contract Extension
El Camino Real Bike Lane Proposal

Tuesday, June 18; Special Start 4 p.m.

Report from the Human Relations Commission: Research on the Lived Experience of Asian American, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders
CDBG Annual Action Plan
Buena Vista Streamlined Review
North Ventura Coordinated Area Plan (NVCAP) Adoption

Save the Date for August & September Council Meetings:

August 5
August 12
August 19
September 9
September 16
September 23

Find City Council meeting agendas, minutes, and videos at cityofpaloalto.org/councilagendas.

Read past City Manager Weekly Updates and provide your input about these comments at: CityofPaloAlto.org/CityManagerUpdates.

Council Actions Summary

Council Actions

Parklet Design & Standards: Approved the revised ongoing parklet program regulations and designs. Directed staff to return on the Consent Calendar an ordinance that would extend the interim parklet program on Ramona Street.

El Camino Park Ballot Measure: Adopted necessary actions to call for a special election for voters to consider undedicating a portion of El Camino Park needed for a proposed transit connection. The proposal constructs a roadway for transit vehicles from the intersection of Quarry Road & El Camino Real to the Palo Alto Transit Center and facilitates direct transit movement onto and from El Camino Real. This improvement will also alleviate congestion at the University Avenue/El Camino Real interchange and University Circle.

Rail Grade Separation: Recommended Seale Avenue for bicycle and pedestrian crossing to advance to the Preliminary Engineering and Environmental Documentation Phase for the partial underpass alternative at Churchill Avenue. Council will consider Meadow and Charleston crossing alternatives on June 18.